Over the past couple of years, I've fielded many questions from prospective clients about the difference between WordPress and all the DIY website builders. SquareSpace, Wix, and Weebly seem to be the leaders in this crowded field. Way behind them is the wreckage of similar companies that have come and gone, plus a number of often shoddily implemented free "page builders" built by hosting providers (e.g. GoDaddy). On the eCommerce…
All website owners should optimize all of their images before uploading EVERY SINGLE TIME.
Several months ago, I wrote a blog post outlining good reasons to encrypt your entire site with an SSL certificate. The advice was for clients who aren't transmitting sensitive personal data, processing eCommerce transactions, and so forth. If you are doing those things, SSL is and has always been mandatory. Where encryption was once a "nice to have" item, we're rapidly approaching the time when SSL will be essential for…
After being in this field for almost twenty years, I decided in 2017 to conduct my first-ever client survey to find out what I do well and what I could improve. People said a lot of nice things that made me smile, several people brought up great points that made me think, and I had a few valuable suggestions about things that I could do better or smarter. One theme…
For most organizations and projects, it may seem 15-20 years too late to ask the question "Do I really need my own website?" but it's a question I hear with some regularity, often for reasons that make a certain amount of sense. Pointy-headed intellectual that I am, I enjoy answering honest questions that don't take anything for granted and address fundamental principles. You might assume most of these folks say…
There are lots of different factors to consider when using the word "reliability" in reference to website design and consulting. Here are a few that come to mind for me: reliability of the consultant to be clear and responsible, to follow through, and to make smart choices to provide a solid foundation for your website project use of a platform that won't be obsolete as soon as you've launched, that…
It's always puzzled/annoyed me that it was so difficult to integrate Square with WooCommerce. Now, at last, that situation seems to have been rectified with a new extension from WooThemes that promises to do exactly that. If you've ever swiped (or chipped) your card at a food truck, craft fair, farmers' market, small retail store, or any number of other small businesses, you've probably used Square, the dominant player in this…
As an afterthought to my recent post about improving search results with minimal effort, I thought I'd add a few thoughts about another low-effort way to use Google's algorithm to your advantage: encrypting an entire website instead of just shopping carts, logins, and other traditionally "secure" areas that transfer sensitive data. In 2014 the Goog started giving a small page rank bump to sites that are entirely encrypted via SSL. This means…
Sounds too good to be true, right? It's not, but it's not a magic bullet that will have an enormous effect either. Here's what you need to know. Because search engine algorithms are so smart now, the two best ways to improve your ranking are: post interesting, relevant, carefully-written, keyword-related content to your site on a regular basis cultivate online relationships (often built on strong content, as above) so influential sites will…